Recap: Dinosaurs Alive at Carowinds

Discosure: I’m a Carowinds Brand Ambassador (Caro Blogger) and received complimentary season passes to give you an all access experience to Carowinds. All opinions are mine alone.

I recently had the opportunity to visit Carowinds with my nephew and sons, It was their Boys Day Out! We had a great time walking around the theme park, enjoying the rides and visiting Dinosaurs Alive! I personally was looking forward to Dinosaurs Alive because I have a fascination with Dinosaurs. I also LOVED the movie Jurassic Park and recently saw Jurassic World so I was all in the Dinosaur Spirit! I may have been looking forward to Dinosaur’s Alive more than the boys! Here are our 7 top reasons why Dinosaurs Alive is so awesome!

Irritator

My seven year old son loved Dinosaurs Alive because in his words… “they were moving and had sound effects that were sometimes a little scary.” and “They looked so real and I liked learning their names.” The art was amazing! The life-sized dinosaurs looked so realistic.

I also loved that they were interactive and had the names and background information on each dinosaur exhibit. I was able to know the name of the dinosaur I was looking at upon the first glance along with some factual information based on real fossil evidence.

Irritator Dinosaur

The Dinosaurs Alive exhibition has more than 30 life-sized, moving animatronic dinosaurs. You walk on a trail through the exhibition and can see all the different dinosaurs displayed. They even have a stink zone, you’ll know when you’re there. Lol!

I also liked that it’s an opportunity to learn new things with your family about extinct creatures. Can you imagine living in the same era as dinosaurs? There are some great conversations to be had around Dinosaurs Alive!

Dinosaurs Alive

It’s a great field trip opportunity and also has a downloadable education kit as a resource for different grade levels. Great for teachers! This would also be a great troop event for Boy Scouts & Girl Scouts. There has to be a patch for something this awesome!

The Dinosaurs Alive gift shop is great for souvenirs and apparel. You can get anything from t-shirts, hats, glassware, plush , games, and toys. You can take Dinosaurs Alive home with you and it will remind you of your memorable experience.

Ruyangosaurus Giganteous Dinosaur

There is an area that you can go digging for fossils on the Dinosaurs Alive trail. It’s a great way to cool down and spend a few minutes sitting before you finish walking the trail and seeing the rest of the exhibit. The kids love it!

You can get additional Dinosaurs Alive information on the Carowinds website! I can’t wait to visit this interactive exhibit again. Get there early enough because the exhibit closes at sundown. It was so much fun walking through the trail with my nephew and sons. I’m already planning our next visit.

Ruyangosaurus Giganteous Dinosaur 2

Carowinds BIG News And Fall Family Fun

Disclosure: I’m a Carowinds Brand Ambassador (Caro Blogger) and received complimentary season passes to give you an all access experience to Carowinds. All opinions are mine alone.

Carolina Harbor Waterpark

If you haven’t already heard… Carowinds recently announced new additions that will be coming in 2016. Boomerang Bay will be re-themed expanding the attractions and renaming it Carolina Harbor Waterpark. There will be a new entrance dedicated to direct access to the waterpark and you will be able to come and go as you please. The additions will be a Surf Club Harbor wave pool – A state-of-the-art 27,000 square-foot wave pool that features 12 water geysers, Blackbeard’s Revenge – A towering six story tall water slide complex featuring three attractions and six exhilarating slides, Seaside Splashworks – Part of a new two-acre family area, this water structure features over 80 elements including a 423-gallon tipping bucket, Kiddy Hawk Cove and Myrtle Turtle Beach – These two new family-fun zones are fully equipped with features for both parents and children, New and Renovated Restaurants – In addition to enhancing several restaurants, Harbor House and Schooners will be new premiere dining destinations, Additional Cabanas – You’ll find more than enough shade in 40 new luxurious cabanas, More Lounging Chairs – An additional 1,100 lounging chairs will be available for guests to relax and enjoy the sun, Sand Volleyball Courts – Five professional quality sand volleyball courts will be added. New and Upgraded Facilities – In addition to upgrading family changing areas, a new bathhouse will be added. This sounds sweet!

Carowinds Enterance

More Carowinds surprises… A full service Starbucks will be located right near the main park entrance. It will accommodate nearly 100 indoors with a 3,000 sq ft plus sized patio. I love to plan all day trips to the theme park so it’s great to know that I’ll be able to conveniently get my Chai Tea Latte once I arrive in the morning to get me running and ready for family fun! In addition I can look forward to an afternoon Chai Frappuccino to keep me cool! I’m also really excited about the Cirque Imagine Show – Really cool circus style show with acrobatic performances and bike stunts coming to Carowinds. They have so many great performances already and this is just going to enhance the season line up. I would love to go and see Cirque Imagine when it opens at Carowinds. If you are a 2015 Season Pass holder you’ll want to know that the 2016 Carowinds Season Passes are now available. 2016 Season Passes are currently on sale at their lowest price of the season. Any new purchase comes with a free visit in 2015 (which is a pretty good deal since it is only about $50 more to go anytime you want in 2016). Anyone who renews will get a Fast Lane Plus Pass for 2015. There are so many fun things happening at Carowinds, you won’t fall short of things to do when you visit. I haven’t even touched on the Fall events that are planned.

Scarowinds

SCarowinds is an event I am looking forward to. I’m planning to coordinate a visit to Carowinds during this Spooktacular event as a part of my JENtober Birthday festivities. SCarowinds will start on September 18th and go through October 31st on select nights. They’ve added back a former fan favorite maze, “Slaughterhouse: The Final Cut. I can’t wait to go and share my SCarowinds experience with you. Visit the website for more SCarowinds information. If you’re looking for some less scary family fun then the Fall Festival may be right up your alley. The Great Pumpkin Fest will be starting September 19. It’s a family-oriented fall festival that will run on Saturdays and Sundays from 11-5. It takes place in Planet Snoopy. The start date of the event was moved up this year, and they’re starting festivities an hour earlier than last year. You can look forward to activities like Last Laff a kid friendly circus, Sleeping Giant, Petting Zoo, Hay Bale Maze, Mumpkin Patch (Mini Pumpkin), Foam Zone, Trick-Or-Treating at various stations from 3:00 – 5:00 pm each day, Peter the talking Pumpkin and the Color Station. These are some great activities, I’m sure my little one will have a ball visiting Fall Festival. This is another event to add to my list of things to do this fall. Visit the website for more information about the Carowinds Fall Festival. Have you been to Carowinds this season? If not, what are you waiting for? Join in the FUN! #LuvCarowinds

Carowinds Season Pass Perks

Disclosure: I’m a Carowinds Brand Ambassador (Caro Blogger) and received complimentary season passes to give you an all access experience to Carowinds. All opinions are mine alone.

Carowinds Logo

It’s summer time and what better way to spend some of your vacation than at one of your favorite theme parks. You can access Carowinds whenever you want to with your season pass. The Gold Season pass entitles you to unlimited visits all season long, early ride times on FURY 325, free parking all season, and early entry into Boomerang Bay. If you love special events like I do then you’ll be happy to know that the Gold Season Pass also gives you free admission to SCarowinds Halloween Haunt and Dinosaurs Alive. I’m a Libra Girl born in October and I will be in attendance at SCarowinds for my Birthday! I’m super excited about that visit. But Wait… There’s more! You can also save 10% at Carowinds Camp Wilderness Resort, Receive $20 off on a regular priced admission ticket when you bring a friend on selected days and save 10% at select food and merchandise locations. I’m planning my first visit of the season to Carowinds with my family in the very near future. I’m looking forward to lots of fun in the sun. Carowinds is located 15 minutes from uptown Charlotte at exit 90 (Carowinds Blvd.) off Interstate 77 at the North Carolina/South Carolina border. I live in the Triangle Area and Carowinds is about 179 miles from Raleigh, NC.

I can’t wait to use the Carowinds Mobile App again. It was super helpful during our previous park visits. It’s available on your Apple or Android Mobile Device. You can download the Carowinds Mobile App from the Apple App Store or Google Play. If you like convenience like I do then you’ll love this app. It allows you to purchase tickets in the palm of your hand. You can use the GPS park map to help you find your way around the park. The map is a life saver. Easily find restrooms, dining areas, gift shops, events, rides and dining areas. You can plan your day using the app. You also have the capability to tag and find your friends and family in the park. This will come in super handy with my teenagers because they like to split up and venture off. Get all park, restaurant and event updates on the Carowinds Mobile App. You also get special offers and update notifications on the app. One of my favorite features is the car finder which allows you to mark your parking spot and the app remembers it for you. There are thousands of parking spaces at Carowinds, can you imagine losing your car and having to find it? I don’t even want to think about it! You can also easily share your theme park photos online. If you don’t have this app, now is the time to download it!

Let’s talk food! Carowinds is now offering a dining plan available to season pass holders. You can add an all season dining pass to your season pass and enjoy lunch and dinner at every visit for as low as $96.00. You can also add an all day dining plan for $29.99. There is also a single meal deal which gives you an entrée, side and a fountain drink for $13.99. How does FREE refills on Coca-Cola beverages all day long sound? Welp, you can save some money by purchasing your Carowinds souvenir drink bottle for $10.99 online which saves you $4.00 dollars off the regular price at the park. You can get free refills all day long on the day of your first visit and then $.99 thereafter on each visit. That sounds like a good deal! We’re always thirsty when we’re ripping and running all over a theme park and you add the temperature and sun to that equation… Unlimited refreshing Coca-Cola beverages sound amazing! Overall, I’m super excited to be a Caro Blogger and am looking forward to sharing some fun Carowinds experiences and moments with you. I’m in good company with my fellow Caro Bloggers and can’t wait to see everyone else’s fun theme park experiences. Check out the Carowinds website for more information. Happy Summer!

Carowinds Free Mobile App

This past Sunday I had family fun day at Carowinds Theme Park in Charlotte, NC. It was my first time visiting Carowinds and I loved every moment. The first thing I did upon entering the park was ask for a park map and one of the Park Services Associates playfully looked in my hand, saw my iPhone and said… “Why don’t you just download our mobile App!” Who uses paper anymore? I looked at him and busted out laughing. He was right! I have an iPhone 4S why didn’t I just download the App? So here I go, going paperless! I downloaded the Carowinds Mobile App and was really blown away by how helpful it was during our visit. I was able to navigate my way around the park with no problem, view which rides were family friendly and find Planet Snoopy for my preschooler. Instead of bothering a ride attendant and asking what each particular ride does all I had to do was go under “Things to Do” and look at the ride descriptions along with the picture and the height requirement.

One of the features I absolutely love with the Carowinds Mobile App is that you can enable GPS park map and use it a couple of different ways, the first way is you can use it to document where you’ve parked once you arrive at Carowinds and it will guide you back to your vehicle at the end of your visit. Carowinds has over 5,000 parking spaces and I would hate to lose my vehicle in that parking lot. The second way you can utilize the park GPS is the Friend Finder. You add your name(s) and get a temporary pin. You trade pins with your group and when you split up you are able to follow them on the park map. This particular feature would have come in handy when I gave my teen son & tween daughter specific instructions to meet me at a designated location once they got off a ride and they didn’t. My son’s cell phone was dead and we spent over an hour combing the park looking for them. I’ll make sure all phones are charged up next time and we use this feature! If you follow me on Twitter @JaelDesignsInc you got the play by play as I was tweeting and on Instagram the entire time.

The Carowinds Mobile App also tells you new attractions, event show times, the weather, it helps you locate lodging if you are staying overnight, dining, park hours, and you are able to purchase tickets as well. This Mobile App was well put together and is really helpful to a new visitor but, as I pointed out before, I’ll be visiting again and I’m definitely going to enable the friend finder and continue to use “Things To Do” to help me make the decision on whether I got on a ride or NOT! Overall my family had a great day, my son and daughter went on the Intimidator roller coaster three times, I spent most of the day in Planet Snoopy and the highlight of my day was getting on the Carolina Skytower. The Carolina Skytower is an air conditioned cabin that travels 262 feet into the air and you can view the entire theme park and downtown Charlotte. I was able to snap some really cool pictures from up there. The NEWEST ride attraction at Carowinds that they have is the WindSeeker and  I wasn’t so brave to get on. The WindSeeker goes 301 feet up into the air and you are swinging in a circular motion. It looks great at night when it’s all lit up. Maybe I’ll have the courage to get on it my next visit.

For more information you can go to the Carowinds website or download the Carowinds Mobile App to your smartphone. Carowinds Mobile App is available in the Apple App Store and the Android Marketplace. These thoughts and opinions are my own from my family visit to Carowinds Theme Park and I wasn’t compensated for this blog post. Here are some cool pictures via my Instagram account…

error: Ask And You Shall Receive!!